Fractured
by jublke
Summary: Horatio Caine and his family deal with the aftermath of Marisol's death. Highly AU. [not complete]
1. Chapter 1

Many years ago, I read a piece in the Gatchaman fandom by Jane Lebak. She wrote a compelling story in which the universe as we knew it had been turned on its head - there was no Galactor, no alien invasion, just a paranoid old man and his family. I started to wonder what would happen if I applied this premise to _CSI: Miami_ ...

This is a work of fan-fiction, written by a fan for other fans. I do not own any of these characters, although I did bend them pretty far out of shape while I was borrowing them.

If you enjoy this highly AU piece, let me know. Right now, I have one more chapter planned. :)

* * *

Ryan Caine opened the door wearing a pair of chinos and a black T-shirt emblazoned with a howling wolf. "Hey, Delko. Good to see you, man."

Eric gave him a hug with one arm since he was carrying a heavily-laden grocery sack in the other, but he still managed to tousle the boy's hair. Stepping inside the foyer of the beachfront home, he replied, "Nice to see you, too, Wolf-boy." Glancing around, he asked, "Where's H? He's going to miss his own birthday dinner."

The younger man gestured at the Cuban to follow him into the kitchen and Eric set his bag on the table. "Dad's been acting even weirder than usual. He's at some neighborhood crime watchers meeting." He handed Eric a beer and took one for himself. Popping the top, he took a swig from the bottle. "You just know he's gonna tell them his theories about this new Cuban-Russian super mob." Ryan gestured an explosion with his free hand and rolled his eyes.

Delko winced. "I thought he was over that. I knew he was upset after Marisol died, but I was sure he'd accept the coroner's report by now." Eric opened his own beer and took a sip. "Especially when Alexx looked it over." He followed Ryan from the kitchen to the living room, a hexagonal space with walls of windows overlooking the ocean. Ryan flopped down on the sofa and put his black canvas tennis shoes up on the coffee table. He ignored the exceptional scenery.

"Nope." The younger man shook his head, shaggy brown bangs waving back and forth. "He's convinced it was a mob hit."

The Cuban's dark eyes flashed. "She had stage four cancer!" He gestured at Ryan with his beer bottle before sitting beside him.

"I know." Ryan's voice was soft. "I miss her. She was good for Dad." He stared at the floor.

Eric nodded and took a deep breath. "I miss her too." He coughed over the lump in his throat and took a drink.

Ryan looked at him. "Thanks for coming over, Eric. It's nice of you to do this for Dad." He locked eyes with the Cuban until Eric felt uncomfortable and glanced away.

"I promised Marisol I would look after you guys."

Ryan nodded, and both men politely sat side by side, sipping their beers. There was a long, protracted silence until Eric ventured to speak.

"So, Wolf ... how's school?"

The younger man subconsciously rubbed his right eye. "It's ... uh ... not going so well right now. I took a semester off." He set the beer aside and folded his arms across his chest.

Eric frowned, his tone accusing. "You never said anything."

Wolf shrugged, wrapping his arms even more tightly across his body. "It's no big deal. I ... um," Ryan stopped to rub his eye again, "I just can't keep up with the reading right now. I'll make it up after the surgery."

"You're having surgery? On your eye?" Eric stood and started to pace. "Why didn't you tell me before?" His voice was a mix of anger and confusion.

Ryan jumped up. "Because of this!" He gestured at the pacing man with his hands. "I knew you'd flip out on me! I don't need that, Eric. I've got Dad to deal with. He's convinced that this Cuban-Russian gang of his caused it all to happen."

Eric set the beer on the coffee table and ran a hand through his short-cropped hair, stopping to finger the unsightly scar on the back of his scalp. He shook his head and sighed. "I'm sorry, man."

"Eric, we've been over this like a million times. You didn't cause the accident either. It's my fault for not wearing a seatbelt."

"But I was speeding! We were late to that party and I -"

Both men jumped at the sound of the front door slamming. "Wolfie? You home? I saw Eric's car around the corner."

"Yeah, Dad, we're in here," Ryan called back.

Horatio Caine walked into the living room, carrying a slim leather folder. Despite the ongoing heat and humidity, he wore tailored dark pants with a long-sleeved white dress shirt. His only concession to the Miami sun was an expensive-looking pair of shades. He held his hand out for the Cuban to shake.

"Eric. It's good to see you." The man removed his sunglasses and graced his brother-in-law with a rare smile.

"You, too, H. How've you been? What've you been up to?"

Ryan stiffened on the sofa cushion next to Eric. "I'm going to start dinner now," the young man said as he fled the room.

Horatio sat down in Ryan's place. "Wolfie doesn't like hearing about the gang activity in our neighborhood." He tapped the file. "But I've got photos of the ringleader right here," he whispered conspiratorially.

Eric plastered a fake smile on his face and took the proffered file. Opening it revealed photographs of a man wearing a gaudy outfit with a goofy hat. Despite his desire to humor his brother-in-law, Eric found himself gaping at the redhead. "Luigi the ice cream man?"

"Exactly," Horatio replied, his voice smug.

"But he drives a-"

"Ice cream truck," Horatio interrupted. "Perfect cover. He can go into any neighborhood he wants without suspicion." He leaned in closer. "And when he kills his victims, he can put them on ice and no one's the wiser."

Eric nodded politely. "Ryan!" he hollered in a slightly strangled voice. "You need some help in there?"

"Yeah," the younger man called back.

Eric leapt up. "Sorry, H. Duty calls. Gotta get the food on before the girls get here." He practically ran into the kitchen.

Ryan frowned at him once the swinging doors to the kitchen had closed, hazel eyes flashing in annoyance. "I tried to warn you. Do not get him started."

Blinking his eyes, Eric shook his head. "Thanks, man. I had no idea he was still this bad." He lowered his voice. "What did the doctor say?"

Ryan shrugged as he opened the containers Eric had brought from home, transferring the contents to various bowls and pans for reheating. "His therapist says he's still in shock over Marisol's death. She thinks he can't accept the randomness of cancer, so he's trying to cope by inventing a enemy he can defeat." The younger man pulled two wooden spoons out of a drawer and began to stir the black bean soup with one. He handed the other spoon to Eric.

"The Cuban-Russian gang," Eric supplied as he transferred his mother's guacamole into a serving bowl and opened a bag of tortilla chips. "But, Ryan, he's never gonna get clearance to go back to work talking like that. What did Frank say?"

Ryan shrugged. "He says Dad's place on the force is waiting for him, whenever he gets the medical and psychological clearances to go back."

Eric's dark eyes flashed. "Maybe he needs a new therapist! It's been almost a year, Ryan. He's not getting any better!"

Ryan's shoulders slumped and he set the spoon down on the stove. Rubbing his right eye, he conceded, "I know, Eric." The young man's wavering voice was barely a whisper, and it soon became obvious that he was choking back tears.

Eric pulled Ryan close. "Hey, Wolfie. Shhh," he soothed. "It's gonna be okay. I promise." He stroked the young man's long hair and rubbed his shoulders as if he was a small child.

Wide, red-rimmed eyes stared back. "I'm scared, Eric. I don't have any other family but my Uncle Ron, and he's still in prison. I'm lucky Dad was willing to take me in. If I lose him, I don't know what I'll do." He sniffed unhappily.

Tanned hands grasped Ryan's shoulders. "Wolf, look at me. I'm not leaving you. You and H are family. We'll get through this." Brown eyes locked on hazel.

"Okay." Ryan ducked from under the older man's grip. He looked away from Eric and wiped his eyes with one hand. "Why'd you bring so much food for just the three of us?"

"Ah, grasshopper," Delko intoned, "you have much to learn." He smirked at Ryan.

Ryan folded his arms, raised one eyebrow, and gave the older man a skeptical look. "Seriously, man. What gives?"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Eric yelled, giving Ryan a sidelong grin. Both men ran for the door.


	2. Chapter 2

My thanks to daxy and CSIMiamiFan for your reviews. I am also wondering where I am heading with this! Hope you like this next chapter.

Standard disclaimer: not mine, don't own, don't sue. And forgive me for bending these characters into pretzels. :)

* * *

Eric and Ryan's enthusiasm was short-lived. They opened the door to a beady-eyed, middle-aged man wearing an ill-fitting navy blue suit.

Ryan sighed. "What is it now, Rick?"

The older man sniffed. "That's Mr. Stetler to you, Wolf." Peering past the doorway, he added, "Is your father home, by any chance?"

"He's busy." Ryan blocked Stetler's view, folded his arms, and thrust his jaw in defiance.

Rick rolled his eyes impatiently. "Well, you tell him that just because he's head of the neighborhood crime watch, that does not give him permission to snoop around on my property. He's not an active duty police officer."

"My father," Wolf snarled, "is the best damn detective in Miami-Dade County." He eyed the other man warily, adding, "Maybe you have something to hide, Mister Stetler." As Rick fumed, Eric put a restraining hand on Ryan's shoulder. Wolf had balled his fists and looked ready to strike.

"I think you should go," Eric said to Rick, before Horatio's birthday dinner devolved into a fist-flying brawl. "We'll give him the message."

Stetler stepped off of the porch and did a quick visual survey of the Caine family property. "And let him know his grass is at least a half-inch too high. That's an HOA violation." He narrowed his eyes and thrust a shoulder in the direction of the garage. "And the trim on your garage door is not only peeling, it's the wrong shade of umber." He wagged a finger at the two men standing on the porch. "The next homeowners' association meeting is at the end of this month. I strongly suggest you fix it by then."

As Eric nodded, replying, "Of course, Mr. Stetler," in an overly-cloying voice, Ryan flipped the man the bird. Eric shoved Wolf into the house before the boy could get into any more trouble. "Who was that?" he asked, closing the front door.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Rick is the head of the HOA. He's got it in for Dad."

"Obviously," Eric snorted. "What did you do to piss him off?"

The younger man flushed. Rubbing his right eye, he disclosed, "I backed into his car last month." At Eric's surprised expression, he added, "That's when Dad made me go back to the eye doctor."

Horatio walked into the foyer, obviously expecting to see more guests. He glanced around with a puzzled look on his face. "Who was that, Wolfie? Why didn't you invite them in?"

Ryan replied with a particularly detailed, profanity-laced description of their visitor.

H massaged his temples. "What did Stetler want this time?" He folded his arms and stared at the floor, appearing exhausted at the mere mention of the man.

"Don't worry about it, Dad." Ryan placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "I'll handle it."

Horatio gave Ryan a slight smile before nodding. He turned to Eric. "How about another beer? You boys can join me on the deck."

Ryan shook his head, another swear word escaping his lips. "I forgot about the soup!" He raced back into the kitchen.

Eric followed Ryan at a quick pace, calling over his shoulder, "Sorry, H. I gotta protect my mother's honor. If Wolf ruins her food, she'll kill me." Sounds of clanking and stirring followed, along with a touch of profanity.

The doorbell rang again. All three men shouted, "I'll get it!" but Ryan reached the door first.

"Well, hello," he said, stumbling over his words. "You must be ... uh ... here for Eric."

The petite blond wearing sky-high black heels gave him a warm smile. "I'm Calleigh," she said, thrusting a hand in Ryan's direction. He shook it, numbly. The woman had eyes like green jewels, long blond hair, and wore a tight black jumpsuit. If she hadn't have been about six inches too short, she could have been a runway model.

"And this," she said, shoving a tall brunette forward, "is my younger sister Natalia."

Natalia wore a white, button-down Oxford over long jean shorts and a pair of red Keds. Her wavy brown hair practically covered her face. Brown eyes were framed by cat's eye glasses. With a shy smile, she held her hand out for Ryan as well. "Hello."

A nearly audible spark crackled through the room as the two met for a handshake.

Ryan stared at their clasped hands in wonderment. Natalia looked at Ryan in surprise, and he dropped her hand, blushing. Eric entered the foyer at the tail end of this interaction, and chuckled. He greeted Calleigh with a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Natalia just transferred to Dade U," Calleigh explained to Ryan. "Eric told me you're working on your chemistry degree. I thought maybe you could show her around. Natalia's studying genetics."

"Um, yeah, sure," Ryan replied. He touched around his right eye before locking his gaze on the brunette. "But I'm ...uh ... taking a semester off," he stammered. "I ... " He looked away, clearly unsure of how much to say.

Natalia touched Ryan gently on the arm. "Are you okay?" she asked in a soft voice.

He looked down at her fingers on his elbow before their eyes locked again and they jumped apart. Had either of them eyes for anything but the other, they would have seen Calleigh give Eric a definite smirk as she whispered, "Told you so."

"Yeah," Ryan said, breaking his connection with the girl long enough to reply. "I ... uh ... I'm having eye surgery in a couple of weeks." At Natalia's sad smile, he added, "But I should be good after that. And I can show you around before then." He smiled shyly at her. "As long as you drive."

"Okay," she said. "I'd like that." Natalia rewarded him by returning his smile. "Maybe I could come over and read to you while you're recovering?" She touched him on the arm again. "I have some questions about organic ..."

There was the sound of a throat clearing, and the two jumped apart guiltily. "And who do we have here?" Horatio Caine said, taking in the two women. He tipped his head to the side and favored them with a smile.

"H, this is my girlfriend, Calleigh, and her sister Natalia," Eric supplied. "Calleigh and Natalia, you've already met Ryan, also known as Wolf. This is Horatio, Ryan's father and my brother-in-law."

Calleigh's eyes widened. "Well, hello, Handsome!" she said. "I didn't know you guys were related." She looked from Eric to Horatio and back.

"You two know each other?" Eric asked with a frown.

The blond's wide smile was dazzling. "I give the yearly ballistics training at the Miami-Dade police department. Horatio's the best student I've ever had! You should watch him shoot a gun. He's simply amazing. And with his knowledge of bullet striations ... Well, I'm surprised he's not head of the Crime Lab by now."

The redhead gave her a bashful smile and dipped his head. "Thank you, ma'am." A flush spread across his cheeks and soon his ears had turned slightly pink too. Ryan and Eric stared at H, then looked at each other. Ryan shrugged his shoulders. Eric appeared horrified.

"You never dated, right?" he blurted out.

"No," the Southern blond replied, gazing at Horatio, her eyes wistful. The older man simply shook his head.

Natalia flashed Ryan a worried glance and subtly gestured at Eric. His nostrils were flaring and he looked angry enough to hit something. Or someone.

Ryan reached out to the Cuban. "Hey," he said, shaking him gently. "Let's eat."


	3. Chapter 3

My thanks to daxy, CSIMiamiFAN, augus10, and Guest for your comments on the previous chapter. Hopefully, I can update a bit more frequently now. I do have some ideas for future chapters. :)

Not mine, don't own, don't sue. Oh wait, I do own any errors in the text. And some of the crazy ways I bent the characters in this very AU story.

* * *

Dinner was a tense affair. Eric glowered at Calleigh, who had eyes only for H. Horatio wore a faint smile as he studied his son Ryan's clumsy attempts to flirt with Calleigh's little sister Natalia. The brunette woman, in turn, stared at Eric.

"Ryan," she whispered, leaning into the young man seated next to her.

"What?"

"I've never seen Eric's face twitch like that."

Ryan glanced across the table to find Delko's nostrils flaring again - never a good sign. He cleared his throat. "Hey, uh, Eric, meet me in the kitchen. Let's get dessert started."

"Gladly," Eric growled, still glaring at Calleigh as he got up and left the table. The blond didn't seem to notice.

Once the two were in the kitchen, Ryan turned to Eric and spoke in a low voice. "Look, man, I know it sucks, your girlfriend flirting with my dad and all, but it is his birthday." Ryan turned to get the cake out of the refrigerator.

"So, it's that obvious, huh." Ryan wondered if Eric was referring to Calleigh fawning over Horatio or Eric's seething anger at witnessing this, but decided it didn't really matter. Both were readily apparent. Eric wrapped his arms around himself and shook his head. "I don't know what she's thinkin'."

Based upon Calleigh's moony expression, Ryan had a pretty good idea of what the blond bombshell was thinking, and it occurred to him that this hot woman in a jumpsuit just might be the best birthday present his father could ever receive. Not that he would ever tell this to Delko.

Ryan put the cake on a fancy serving plate as Eric took a bag of ground coffee out of the cupboard. "You're scaring Natalia," Ryan observed. He punched the older man lightly on the arm. "So knock it off."

Eric grinned as he measured the coffee grounds and poured water into the machine. "At least one Duquesne woman understands me." There was a wicked glint in his eyes as he set the glass carafe on the hot plate. "Maybe I should ask Natalia out instead."

A growl sliced the air, and the Cuban had to catch Wolf's fist before it landed in his gut. Eric's smile never wavered. "You like her, don't you?"

Ryan pulled away, dropped his gaze to the floor, and shrugged. "She's too young for you, anyway." He looked up with such an angry, earnest expression that Eric had to stifle a laugh.

He ruffled the younger man's hair. "No worries, Wolf. She likes you, too."

"You think so?" Ryan's eyes went wide and he couldn't contain the goofy grin.

Eric chuckled. "I know so, grasshopper. Now, let's get some candles on this cake."

* * *

Once the candles were blown out and the dishes cleared, Natalia shyly took Ryan's hand. "I need to talk to you. Can we go somewhere private?"

As Ryan's eyes widened into dinner plates, Eric flashed him a thumbs-up sign. He and Calleigh were sitting together on the living room sofa talking to H. Eric seemed to have settled for possessively draping himself over his girlfriend while she chirped away happily at the redhead.

Wolfe grabbed a jacket and led the brunette onto the deck before closing the sliding door behind them.

"Wow, it's pretty out here," Natalia said. The night sky, still retaining a faint orange tinge near the horizon, was already freckled with stars.

Ryan put on his jacket and led her over to his telescope. "Here," he said, as he showed her how to adjust the lens.

She politely dipped her head to take a look. "Amazing," she breathed. "Just amazing." Her fingers brushed Ryan's. Startled, she looked up to find him smiling at her.

"You're amazing too," he breathed. He thought he saw Natalia blush, but it was hard to tell in the dark. Not wanting to rush her, Ryan looked out at the waves, squinting a bit as he did so. Moonlight dappled the water, and the thrum of the ocean was almost hypnotic.

"Natalia -" The young man spoke just as he heard, "Ryan -"

They both laughed. "Ladies first," he said, bowing slightly. Ryan's shaggy hair fell in his eyes, and he brushed it away with a practiced hand.

Natalia looked away. "Ryan, I ..." She clung to the railing, and he gently took one hand and began to massage her wrist. She turned back to him, a curious expression on her face. "I didn't ask you out here to make out."

He dropped her hand as if burned. "Oh."

She leaned into him and squeezed his shoulder. "I never said I didn't want to," she whispered.

As her soft brown eyes met his troubled hazel ones, her shy smile began to thaw his stony expression. Soon Ryan was grinning back at her like a Cheshire cat. "Oh!"

"But I need to talk to you first," she said, pulling him even further away from the sliding glass door. When they were at the far end of the deck, Natalia whispered, "I think my sister knows your father."

Ryan frowned at her. "I know. She teaches ballistics. He's taken classes from her."

"No, Ryan, this is different." Natalia played with a strand of hair. "She acted really weird with him when you guys weren't around."

"You think she's cheating on Delko? With my dad?" The thought of his father sneaking around with Calleigh seemed absurd. As far as Ryan knew, the man was still grieving for Marisol.

Natalia giggled and shook her head before sobering. "Not that kind of weird. Flirting is normal for my sister. No, they got all serious and quiet. I think they're working on a case together."

Ryan's jaw set into a hard line and he looked away. "I doubt that. My dad's ... uh ..." He swallowed. "He's on extended leave." Wolf rubbed his right eye before folding his arms.

Natalia touched him gently on the forearm. "Eric told us. In the car, on the way here." She scuffed the deck with the toe of her shoe.

Ryan looked at her. "So you know." His words were pained.

"That your dad is a mess because his wife died?" She nodded. "But that doesn't explain what he told my sister." She rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

Ryan's eyebrows dipped together as he studied her. "What did you hear?" He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Very little," she admitted, snuggling into the warm denim. "I left to use the bathroom while you were getting the cake with Eric. When I came back, they were whispering. He handed her a thumb drive."

His face revealed complete bafflement. "What were they talking about?"

She flushed. "I ... uh ... I didn't hear much, Ryan. I'm ... uh ..." Natalia tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear. "I lost some hearing in my left ear as a baby. Ear infections." She pulled away, but he reached out and squeezed her hand.

"I'm not judging you," he said softly. "I just want to help Dad."

She nodded. "I thought I heard the name Jake Berkeley. He and Calleigh went to high school together."

Ryan folded his arms again and stared at her, head tipped to one side as if he was having a hard time processing this information. "Berkeley used to be my Uncle Ray's drug dealer." He chewed his lip. "Before he died of a drug overdose."

"I'm sorry, Ryan." Natalia's shoulders slumped. "Maybe I misunderstood." He took her hand again, encouraging her to speak. When she turned back to him, moonlight glinted across the lenses of her glasses. He gave her a soft smile. "And then, he said something about the Mets," she continued. Ryan quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "And an ice cream truck."

At this, Ryan pulled away. He squinted out at the beach and rubbed his eye again before resting his arms on the railing. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

"I'm not sure about anything," she admitted. "Why? Does any of that make sense to you?"

He nodded. "It's not about the Mets, Natalia. It's meth. They were talking about crystal meth."


End file.
